59 tigers radio collared

PTI | Updated: Apr 26, 2016, 14:25 IST

New Delhi, Apr 26 () Fifty-nine wild cats have been radio collared in various tiger reserves across the country, the government today said, noting that information provided by the collared tigers was "critical" for conservation of the species. "While the maximum 35 tigers have been radio collared in various tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh, 14 have been done in two tiger reserves in Rajasthan," Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said in a written reply in Lok Sabha. He said that the cost of radio collar depends on the purpose for which it is intended to be customised. "A simple VHF radio collar with battery life of three to four years will cost between Rs 25,000-30,000. This collar will help in tracking animals in the field. "The more advanced radio collars with GPS, activity sensor, mortality sensor, VHF, UHF, automatic drop off etc cost almost Rs 3-4.50 lakhs. This depends upon the research programme intended to be addressed," Javadekar said. He said the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has not evaluated the potential harm caused by the radio collars for the tigers. The minister also informed that a tigress in Pench tiger reserve has given birth to four cubs. "All the tigress of Panna and Sariska tiger reserves are collared and doing well. The information provided by radio collared tigers is critical for long term conservation of the species," he said. TDS DV

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